Scars
by Castlelover94
Summary: "The scars were physical and emotional, even as they faded, they were still there, no matter how hard she tried to hide them on her wrist, she always knew they were there." One- Shot


Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT though I wish that I did. This is not meant to insult, offend readers, or belittle cutting. Cutting is a serious problem that deserves serious attention.

Scars:

Emma slowly pulled up her sleeve as she sat alone in her bedroom, the scars on her wrist coming out from their safe place. No one would ever see these, no one could know or understand the pain she had been in. The scars were physical and emotional, even as they faded, they were still there, no matter how hard she tried to hide them on her wrist, she always knew they were there. She hadn't cut for close to three years and as she flipped the sharp blade in her fingers she felt it's cool metal on her skin and for the first time in a long while she considered doing it again. She wanted the pain to go away, she wanted to forget. She knew though that she would never forget, it didn't matter how many times she carved the blade into her skin.

_It won't be deep, you can't make it obvious, _she would tell herself. She knew she would have to wear long sleeves if she cut again, the scars were easy to hide, but fresh cuts scream at people wanting to be noticed. Emma could remember her teacher seeing the scars and asking if she was alright. They always asked if you were alright, but if she was alright she wouldn't be doing this in first place.

The cool blade was pressed to her skin sending chills down her spine. She pulled back. She was stronger than this, she didn't have to give into the dark games that played with her mind trying to always win. Her breathing slowed and she closed her eyes as the razor blade fell to the floor in front of her. The hot tears fell fast and she didn't bother stopping them as they did. Over her sobbing she didn't hear her bedroom door open.

Snow opened the door to her daughters bedroom when she heard her sobbing. Slowly walking over to the bed, she sat down next to Emma, laying her hand gingerly on her back. Quickly Emma pulled her sleeve back down wanting to spare her mother from seeing her sins. But Snow noticed and grabbed her daughters wrist, pulling the sleeve back up and gasping when she saw scars going halfway up Emma's arm. Emma turned and buried her head into her Snow's shoulder crying even more.

"Why, Emma?" Snow asked holding Emma close.

"It was a long time ago, and I wasn't in a good place. It took away the pain like nothing else." Emma said, running her finders across the rough skin. She felt every jagged line she had put on herself.

"Will you tell me? Please?"

Emma sighed, she had never told anyone her secret.

"It started when I was 15, right after my foster father crawled into bed with me and… I… He made me feel… dirty. I saw the blade in the bathroom and I cut. I did it every night after he would… ya know, do things… It was a way of taking the pain that I held inside. Then it just got to be whenever I started feeling bad, or when a foster parent would hit me. Sometimes it was to subdue the pain from what they had done physically, others it was because they had degraded me to the point where… I couldn't even love myself." Emma said as Snow held her hands in hers.

"You were going to cut tonight…" Snow breathed in shaky realization.

Emma nodded holding back tears.

"What happened? Did August hurt you?"

"No, this time it wasn't exactly physical..." Emma closed her eyes trying herself to wrap her head around what had happened. "I-I.. was pregnant. But when I went to the doctor for another check up there wasn't a heartbeat." Emma said starring blankly at the razor blade laying on the floor. She could hear Snow starting to cry next to her.

"I'm so sorry, Emma." Snow said while holding back tears. "Does August know?"

Emma shook her head, "I don't know how to break it him… he was so thrilled when I told him I was pregnant." She sighed, nervously running her fingers through her coarse hair.

"Promise me you won't cut Emma. I'm still your mother, and it kills me to think that you would do this to yourself. Talk to me if you need to. You aren't in a foster home anymore We're family, and your father and I will always, always protect you." Snow said wrapping Emma up again in her arms.

Emma glanced down at her wrist and the scars, they were her past, her pain, her brokenness. But today they had become her strength, as she had fought past the pain and the need for its release. She could be strong. She _was_ strong. She had broken a curse, she could definitely break this. Emma wasn't proud of the scars, but they were a part of her, with a story behind each one. Together, they were a book that only she understood.

This pain she felt today wasn't going to join the others, it would stay in her heart and be her strength.

"I promise," she whispered honestly as darkness enveloped the room around them.


End file.
